Marty's reflection on security and blogging

I am going to change formats and reflect on both security in the school and on blogging as it pertains to education.

Security in the classroom is a must and teachers, students and administration must be properly trained in secure computer practices, especially when it comes to surfing the Internet. I believe all students should have a signed computer “driver’s license” which explains the dos and don’ts of computer use. Guardians should also have a signature block on this license. Our students will use computers throughout their lives and we are in the perfect position to teach them how to do it correctly, securely, and safely.

School computer security experts should use page blockers but should consult with teachers so as to not inhibit instruction. Teachers should be given the latitude to surf the web more freely than their students to be able to find proper educational contents and download or bookmark as appropriate. School administrations have the right to view all web activities, to include those of teachers, and teachers have the responsibility to navigate the web wisely, securely, and safely.

Now on to my reflections on the potential for using blogs in instruction. Our youth is tech-savvy and will catch on to blogs and their multiple uses in the classroom. It is apparent to me that we older folk must have strong instruction in setting up and using blogs as a tool for instruction. Our group struggled a bit with our blog, but with some fine mentoring on Tracy’s part did fine with this assignment. It would be a great learning experience to continue with the blog for the rest of this class. I’m up for it if you all are.

One BTW,
I truly have a better understanding of how difficult it is to learn when you are sight challenged. Seems I had to learn the hard way.

marty kaz